Michelin two-star chef Raye returns to La Regalade Manila
Over a year ago he regaled us with succulent treats when Metro Manila’s edition of La Regalade, a mirror image of the original La Regalade in West Vancouver, opened on Arnaiz Ave., in Makati.
The renowned Alain Rayé, a
certified two-star Michelin chef, opened his French bistro in Vancouver in 2001 and immediately won over an international clientele. Among the citations he received was one from no less than Jurgen Gothe, Food & Wine editor of NUVO magazine, who wrote: “A good chef can prepare plenty of plates with skill, even panache. A great one can cook anything. Meet one of the greats. Eat some of his food.”
Rayé had earned his toque and national mention when he was but a precocious 18-year-old. He gained his first Michelin star at Samois sur Seine in Fontainebleu, and a second star at La Belle Epoque, the Chateaufort restaurant, which he eventually took over before he moved to Vancouver with his family in 1999. Rayé has also since written several cookbooks featuring his prized recipes, including Une Table Pour Deux.
Former hotelier Perfecto “Bubot” Quicho, the first Filipino GM of an international hotel chain, who ran the Hyatt Regency Manila for a couple of decades, became a La Regalade Vancouver habitue. As one of the former operators of the wildly popular Giraffe restaurant and bar in Makati, he was looking towards initiating a new venture.
Quicho befriended Rayé and coaxed him to visit the Philippines as a partner in a similar bistro in Makati, where the master chef could set up and train the culinary staff. Alain agreed and visited Manila a couple of times.
Delighted with what he saw in our wet markets, particularly the availability, quality and freshness of seafood, he assured his Filipino partners of a whole new experience in the country bistro food he would institutionalize in Makati. Alain Rayé even helped decide on the site for La Regalade.
Bistro food is known to have a more hearty flair than haute French cuisine, with many simple, slow-cooked dishes on the menu. Comfort food, it’s been called, perfect for the rainy season, often served with a generous amount of bread or potatoes to keep one pleasantly sated.
La Regalade Manila opened in August of 2008 to rave reviews. Helped along by an executive chef he had brought over from Vancouver, Alain also offered exemplary wine selections to complement the warmth of his bistro menu for discriminating diners.
A young and very promising local sous chef, Anne Karen Martin, joined the kitchen and impressed the master chef so much that she found herself being invited to train in Vancouver for several months. Back in Makati, she eventually rose to the executive chef position, which she has held in Alain’s absence.
Chef extraordinaire Alain Raye returns on April 4 to launch his very own 1st French Food Festival at La Régalade Manila from April 6 to 18. The foodfest will be featured only for dinner, while the bistro continues to offer its regular menus and specials for lunch.
Chef Alain himself will be preparing and cooking during this two-week culinary feast featuring his sumptuous creations. Diners may take advantage of experiencing Alain’s award-winning recipes and enjoy the wine pairings for this special event.
Among the special dishes Alain will be serving during the festival are the following soups like creamy crab bisque with roasted pistachios (rich crab soup flavored with shallots, mushrooms, pistachios, white wine and finished with creme fraiche); cod soup with chorizo, Potato and Leeks (Atlantic salted cod boiled with potatoes and leeks and topped with chorizo Pamplona); and gazpacho with garlic cream (cucumber, onion, peppers, tomatoes and celery puree topped with garlic and coriander cream).
The salads include La Regalade red beets salad (boiled red beets tossed in Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar on a bed of crisp arugula, topped with thinly sliced Parmesan cheese); avocado, basil, coriander and prosciutto salad (avocado meat flavored with basil and coriander served on avocado skin with freshly sliced prosciutto ham); tuna carpaccio with goat cheese (thin-sliced tuna drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice and topped with shallots, chives and grated goat cheese served with a bowl of light salad and warm country bread; and Crab Remoulade (Crab meat, avocado flesh, diced apples and French beans tossed in a creamy yogurt, Dijon mustard and chives dressing).
For appetizers there are Parmesan cheese with tomatoes (freshly ground Parmesan cheese tart topped with sliced tomatoes and served with a bowl of mixed greens tossed in tapenade dressing); and fried prawns with fresh thyme (tiger prawns coated with cream and fresh thyme, pan-fried in peanut oil and served with a bowl of mixed greens tossed in red wine vinegar and walnut dressing.
Main courses are gnocchi carbonara (gnocchi cooked in white wine, cream and Parmesan cheese, topped with freshly sliced prosciutto and raw organic egg yolk); lamb chops with potatoes, onions and fresh thyme (braised lamb chops with sliced potatoes and onions flavored with white wine and fresh thyme, served with a bowl of mixed greens tossed in red wine vinegar and walnut dressing; daube of veal cheeks (slow-cooked veal cheeks in red wine, topped with tomato confit, fried basil and finished with dark chocolate; and pan - seared red snapper with hazelnuts and rosemary (red snapper fillet topped with compound hazelnut, rosemary and lemon zest butter and served with sautéed freshest vegetables in season)
Desserts include Tarte Chocolat, Meringue Glace, Tarte Tatin (upside-down caramelized apple served with vanilla ice cream), red wine pear, and creme brulee.
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Don’t miss this rare gastronomic event by booking your table now. La Regalade Manila at 825 Arnaiz Ave. (formerly Pasay Road), Makati City, has a seating capacity for 76 persons, plus a bar that seats a dozen. It opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. For reservations, call 750-2104/05; fax 750-2106, or visit www.laregalademanila.com.
